Skarlet Envy’s “Resurrection”: Herts Goth Metallers Welcome Their Next Chapter

Face paint? Check. Woods? Check. Yep, Skarlet Envy are definitely a metal band. [photo: Skarlet Envy]

It’s the Halloween season, which means one thing and one thing only: the perfect time for spooky, gothy metal music. And Herts based Skarlet Envy are taking full advantage of this, releasing their brand new track “Resurrection”. 

It’s got everything you want: big, ominous sounding chords; slow, headbanging riffs; and a healthy blend of melodic and growling vocals. Skarlet Envy's first new track in 2 years, it doesn't take long to quickly remind you of just who these guys are.

I had the pleasure of speaking to the band about the track - the story behind it, the production process, and what it has to say about the band’s next era. 

R: To anyone that hasn’t heard you guys before, who are Skarlet Envy?

SE: Skarlet Envy are a 4 piece gothic metal band from Herts/Beds. We have a huge range of musical influences and a passion for horror and the theatrical which we incorporate into our aesthetic. When you come to see a Skarlet show, we want you to leave entertained and wanting more. 

This is your first new release since your debut album in 2022. How has the band changed since then?

We went through a couple of lineup changes as bands often tend to do, and influences have changed over time. We’ve evolved and the four of us just work together like a well oiled machine, we’re all on the same page and genuinely love what we do. We’ve been feeding the monster that is Skarlet and it’s just growing and growing, 

This is a big, heavy opener of a track. It sounds like the first track on an album or the first song in a live set. Is that the intention?

This song is signalling the beginning of a new chapter for Skarlet Envy, the album itself will be titled Resurrection so this will set the tone for the whole album. We wanted our first single after 2 years to be everything we’ve been promising and it will most definitely be the first track on our new album which we are working on as we speak. 

It’s very on-brand having a Halloween release. Was this always the plan?

It wasn’t initially the intention but it’s very fitting and made complete sense when we started looking at timescales once all the song and video production was completed. We are the spooky little gothlings who love all things Halloween so it’s very on brand.

"We want you to leave entertained and wanting more"

What is the song about? What is the “resurrection” it’s referring to?

We hit a point where we either stopped or we came back bigger and stronger. We got some new blood in the band who gave us the push we needed to get back on track and this signifies the resurrection of the band. It’s also about how you deal with the loss of relationships, how we change and move forward. 

What was the recording process like for this track?

We wanted to be able to give it as much time as we needed to work on it and tweak it without the time constraints of a studio. The only thing we did in the studio [at London Road Studios, Baldock, with Max Hopwood] were the drums as we wanted that acoustic kit sound and so [drummer] Lee could really go for it and put his signature on it.

Everything else was recorded at home digitally. [Bassist] Dan very bravely took on the duties of producing, mixing and mastering and honestly smashed it.

"We hit a point where we either stopped or we came back bigger ... this signifies the resurrection of the band"

Having the standalone growls instead of just backing vocals is a great touch. Who’s idea was that?

Vocals are usually [vocalist] Kim’s department so probably her, however we’re pretty collaborative so everything you hear we have all had a hand in somewhere. 

You’ll also be releasing a music video for the track as well. Can you hint at anything about the video?

The video is story and performance based and is part of a two part story (second part due out in January). It will be a first for our videographer Ellie who did an amazing job, she pushed us to create a backstory and a reason as to why we’re doing what we’re doing. We want people to take what they want from it but it touches on loss and obsession. It’s theatrical and of course a nod to horror with a bit of the glamourous.

What can we look forward to with the new album? Anything that might take fans by surprise?

There will be a lot of recognisable “Skarletisms” but we have matured as has our sound. We wanted to push ourselves out of our comfort zone and challenge ourselves too. We took time on these songs, they’re not rushed but fully fleshed out and all with the deeper meanings you have come to associate with Skarlet. 

"Resurrection" is out now on all streaming platforms [photo: Skarlet Envy]